Household incomes by region

In the three years 2013/14 to 2015/16, median household disposable income in the UK was £471 per week, before considering housing costs. After deducting housing costs, then median household disposable income was £402 per week.

Disposable income entails earnings from employment, state support, private pensions, investments and other sources, minus money paid in direct taxes. Income figures are ‘equivalised’, meaning they are adjusted for the number of adults and children in the household. The median is the point at which half of people have higher income and half have lower income.

Incomes before housing costs

Median weekly incomes before housing costs were highest in the South East (£536) and London (£524). Median incomes were lowest in Northern Ireland (£422) along with Wales, the West Midlands and North East (around £430).

Median weekly household income by region, before housing costs: 2013/14 to 2015/16

Incomes after housing costs

After deducting housing costs, median incomes remain highest in the South East (£459) but are lowest in the West Midlands (£370) followed by the North East, Wales and Northern Ireland (around £380). London (£401) is now very close to the UK average.

Median weekly household income by region, after housing costs: 2013/14 to 2015/16

The full briefing provides further information on what income means in this context, looks at the long term trend in average income by region and explains what data are available below the regional level. The data tables show the trend in median incomes for each country and region of the UK from the mid-1990s onwards.